Graduate Studies Program

The Graduate Studies Program, begun in 1896, currently enrolls 41 students who are carrying out studies in systematic and economic botany at field sites around the world. It is one of the few programs with expertise that spans the spectrum of both systematic and economic botany. As a result of this broad range of research interests, students may choose from a cornucopia of courses and subject areas to design unique areas of study. The Program is operated in conjunction with the Plant Sciences Program at the Lehman College campus of the City University of New York (CUNY), the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC) of Columbia University, the Biology Department at Cornell University, the Biology Department at New York University (NYU), and The School of Forestry and Environmental Studies of Yale University. Perhaps the program's most distinctive characteristic is its flexibility, including multiple opportunities for interdisciplinary study. In addition to the core courses in plant sciences, students may take courses in biology or numerous other disciplines at nearby colleges, including City College, Hunter College, the CUNY Graduate Center and Queens College. Furthermore, an agreement between all major universities in New York City entitles students to register for courses in virtually any school in the city.

The broad range of courses offered throughout the New York area and the opportunity to interact with researchers in the natural and the social sciences provide a unique opportunity to develop skills in different fields relating to systematics and economic botany. These include phytochemistry, molecular biology, ecological physiology, archaeology, anthropology, linguistics, economics, computer modeling and nutrition.
 

Financial Support

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The Garden offers Graduate Fellowships for study in systematic and economic botany. Appointments begin July 1 or September 1 annually by special arrangement. Each fellow is expected to devote half-time to formal graduate study, leading to a Ph.D. degree in biology from one of the universities mentioned above, and half-time to assisting different research projects and related activities, such as curatorial work, within the institution. The stipend is approximately $15,000 a year and is paid in 26 biweekly installments. A paid vacation of four weeks is offered each year. Tuition required by the universities and medical insurance are paid in full by the Garden. Fellowships may be renewed annually, contingent on satisfactory scholastic progress. Fellows are expected to complete their degree in five years.  Financial support is also available directly from the participating universities in the form of fellowships, assistantships, and loans. Prospective students should contact the university of interest to learn about such possibilities.

Research Facilities and Equipment

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The New York Botanical Garden has one of the outstanding botanical libraries in the world, with more than 1,250,000 accessions, an herbarium with over 6,500,000 specimens and 10,000 species of living plants housed in several greenhouses including the Enid A. Haupt Conservatory. Students also have access to a large number of laboratory facilities and instrumentation at the Garden. These include an electron microscope, environmental chambers and instrumentation for radiobiological, biochemical, anatomical, molecular, phytochemical, chemosystematic, numerical taxonomy and vegetational studies. The newest addition to the Garden's laboratory capacity is provided through the Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman Program for Molecular Systematics Studies.